The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-03
ATTACKED BY A TIDAL WAVE
The Big Steamer Umbria Swept from
Stem to Stern by a TOrrentO Water.
Passengers Awakened and Almost Thrown
Into Panic by the ShOck-TwO-lnch
Ratings Twisted Like Maccaroni Stems.

one subject OF talk was the Dig tidal wave which
the steamer met on her way over and which she
withstood in a very gallant fashion The ship
really took dose OF sea experience which might
have resulted In most serious damage to the craft
herself and which only the hour of its occurrence
prevented from making deep death swathe in
che passenger list.
1t had been dirty weather all the trip over.
Fogs and head winds, cross seas and rain had
.Seen the luck of almost every watch. and officers
went upon the bridge for their tour Of duty pre-
pared for the very worst sort or seafaring work
Tuesday had been sample day. The wind
had been blowing from west northwest
with occasional fits of blowing from
the southwest. The night brought worse
weather and more of it and when, at o'clock IN
the morning, Second Officer King and Third
Officer Bennett went up on the big bridge fifty
feet above the water line they found the head
wind very tricky and liable to throw the ship
from her course unless closely watched. 1t
was not night TO invite any deck promenading;
nothing bslmy about the atmosphere and no
moon looking out from tho heavily banked
clouds. The men off duty hurried to their hunks
and the officers to their state-rooms. 1t was a
few moments before o'clock Wednesday
morning, and the great vessel was tearing along
through the heavy and taking the strong
head wind dead ip her teeth. when the cry of
the lookout, Forward on the port bow" sent
the eyes of the navigators the bridge to
"--Ns
ing there.
Away at two or three ship-lengths could be
approaching of water, which
nearly took away the stout hearts of the two
officers. They rang over the telegraph instru-
ment from the bridge TO the eDgine-room for a
reduced speed. Then they clasped the stoutest
etanchlons OF the bridge structure and waited
for the blow which the vessel could not escape.
II any prayer was uttered in time it must per-
force have been short one, for in less time
than 1t takes to tell of the incident great body
of water came down with crushing effect on the
stout port-bow of the Umbria and gave the
enormous shin blow which reused the entire
population of the craft, and for a time rise
Iomethlng of a panic. The m bria had met tidal
wave and had gone through it in fine style, but
AZ was an experience of a few seconds to be
talked OF for a lifetime AL that could be done
was done. There was a rush of water down the
forward hatch, and this big flood in the quarters
or the steerage passengers and in the hunks
where the iremen and sailors were provided for
on the orlop deck gave rise to the impression
that the ship was filling. at least In that com
partment, and the bulkhead doors closed in
a JlHy, ana then there was an examination of the
snip, and a rapid one, made by the officers.
There was not much need of extended examina-
tion.
Upon the bridge the brass ratings which are
80 neatly polished and behind which the officers
in their blue coats looks confident as tev sail
up and down the narbor, were a sorry sight
For the distance OF dozen feet from the port
end of the bridge the ratings were twisted about
though they made of macaroni stems
instead of being good, stout brass rods fully
not an inch less than fifty feet. The port
light was gone, torn from its fastenings as
by a set of giant fingers. Further forward
the white light attached to the foremost
water which had come down upon the whale
back turtle-back, under which some of
the fremen find sleeping quarters, had been SO
strong and weighty as TO twist an upright H-iron
stanchion, ms stout as piece of railroad rail- I'M
til it had been turned into permanent knee
joint. Back of the whale back and forward Of
"a Ia Nr Tvs hat
the main deck to the quarters of the firemen
and sailors already mentioned, and of the steer
age passengers assigned to that part of the great
floating tenement This hatch was covered with
a raised house, having companion ways leading
down to the apartments mentioned. When the
wave came it bounced upon this structure
duced it to k:ndling, and sent the mass of splin-
tered wood work down the open, gaping hatch
way, with many tons of water to carry it along.
The effect of such a shock to even great
ocean master as the Umbria not a slight
one. She was plunging slightly at the time the
mountain of water caught her, end from stem
to stern there ran through the craft tremor
which did not leave sleeping eye
Whats the matter" was the inquiry yelled
from hundreds of state-rooms and hunks. There
came answer because not half dozen
on the ship knew precisely what had occurred.
The passengers did not wait much, but there
was a scramble for life preservers, and soon the
saloons and deck were populous with very
much scared, very anxious and very active com
pany of passengers. Cork jackets had suddenly
become the fashion, aud for many of those on
board there was more sleep that night
any attempt at If. Passengers were slow be-
leave that a mere dash of water a rush of moist
ure, as IL were. had done all this damage, even
up to the perch where the officers stand and di-
rect. Tidal waves" and "cyclonic squalls"
were talked of on all sides, and all manner of
conjecture was INDUCED in to what might
have happened had the takers been on a sailing
ship or had the waves taken another turn with
their destructive freaks. Every body was sur
prised at what had been done, and deeply thank
full that there had been nothing else attempted
tyvf hn all RING wa lONH al
upor as a very narrow escape even for such
fine craft as the I'm bria. The officers had done
all that it was possible for them to do under the
circumstance and in the time at their disposal.
There had been no marked barometrical
odd meteorological phenomena to
foretell the approach of the marine monster. 1t
was probably the gathering up of an enormous
wave due to the forcing of the waters to the
under the strong westerly gale blow
ing. and then, with the turn of the tide, there
came piling up of the waters. just as in a
miniature way any seasbore visitor may the
water rushing back over the sloping sand meet
an incoming wave and send the water up an
extra height. In mid-o this extra height
meant a distance of sixty or seventy feet above
the lower level of the trough between the waves.
Head on the wave came. and almost head on the
Cmbria took the shock and received an expert
ence so rare as to be almost unparalleled in
travel. The freedom from mishap
TO person is almost beyond credence. That
great sledge hammer of water should give
blow fit to crush in a ships side spoon
would crush egg shell and yet not single
life be lost, was a marked example of the old
time famous Cunard luck
Third Officer Bennett, who has seen thirty
years service on the sea and a sailor of wide
experience the Atlantic as we'll Indian
ocean was on the bridge and saw the whole of
the attack on the ship and the sturdy defense
made. DE was taking it easy the upper
deck, looking down on a group of wran Cling
steerage people and casting eye of protest
now and then at the overcast moon, when a
World reporter listened to his tale of the sea and
OF his gallant holding of the bridge. He said
1T had been nasty and dirty weather all day |
ana during the night it was no better. We were |
about LOU miles out in mid-ocean. The wind |
was from the west nor'west, almost a headwlnd |
and very strong and rather unsteady. The glass |
had been falling slowly until it stood at 20 80 |
inches There was a big when, Just |
about 4:45, l saw almost right ahead |
great wall OF water. That is the only way |
| can describe It Look you! Imagine that |
house on yonder pier anywhere ND to a |
thousand feet long and above fifty feet |
high of water moving along rolling over |